U.S. sets new hurdles for North Korea

The U.S. government has decided to impose three new conditions for removing North Korea from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, sources close to the six-party talks said Friday.

Pyongyang must reveal the amount of plutonium it has extracted; the reality of its uranium enrichment program; and the alleged transfer of nuclear technology and materials to other countries such as Syria, the sources said.

These points should be made clear when North Korea completes its declaration of its nuclear programs by the end of this year, the sources added.

It is now likely that North Korea will not be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism anytime soon because it is unlikely that it will accept all conditions, the sources said.